The health of theatrical exhibition is most often measured by the box office receipts of multiplexes in major cities. While the majority of ticket sales come out of those venues, local theatres in small towns around the nation can have an outsized impact on those communities and the experience of their residents. A Main Street theatre with one or two screens often plays the role of an economic and cultural center in its town.
One great example of this is the Mayer Theatre, a single-screen movie house located in Hebron, North Dakota. The online publisher Salon published a fun and fascinating profile of both the theatre and the town, which has seen a lot of changes over the past decade.
The article focuses on the theatre’s owner, Bonnie Brekke, who saved it from closing when she and her brother, Jerry Brekke, took it over in 2010. This article isa great read, illustrating the unique role of movie theatres such as The Mayer in their communities, and the challenges they face in the evolving landscape of movies and moviegoing.
